The present invention relates to instrument configuration control, and more particularly to a television signal encoder/decoder control system for controlling the timing, format conversion, level adjustment, signal processing techniques and filters endemic to television encoders or decoders.
Prior television signal encoders and decoders, such as the CV-25 encoder and the CV-24 decoder manufactured by The Grass Valley Group, Inc. of Grass Valley, Calif., United States of America, have been controlled by simple switches and knobs, allowing an operator to configure and adjust the unit to perform in a single particular manner. Generally when the operator needs to change the configuration, the operator must physically change the position of the controls, one at a time, until the new configuration is achieved. This process, when compared with the speed of each frame of video, is extremely slow, especially if the changes require test equipment for fine levels of adjustment. Also once a configuration has been altered, it is not easy to return to the original configuration.
Most recent improvements in encoders and decoders, such as the EMPHASYS encoders/decoders manufactured by The Grass Valley Group, Inc. of Grass Valley, Calif., United States of America, have come through improved signal processing techniques for the elimination or reduction of artifacts common to encoding and decoding. In general these processes reduce cross-color and cross-luminance errors, i.e., artifacts due to chrominance and luminance being improperly separated, increase fine detail definition, reduce noise and the like. Some of these improved signal processing techniques are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,819,061 and 4,847,683. Although these processes can make huge improvements on most picture material, some images or portions of images are often distorted or improperly acted upon by these processes. In short no one process is ideal for all video picture material or for the subjective tastes of all observers. Therefore configuration control of the encoders/decoders is desirable.
What is desired is a television signal encoder/decoder control that quickly and easily modifies the configuration of encoders and decoders, including signal processing techniques, and recalls the configuration at a fast enough rate to coincide with changes in the picture material.